To think we need to increase taxes on flights. If you fly more you pay more.

[ThereWillBeAdequateFood]

Just that really. I think something like 70% of all flights are taken by 30% of people.

I think we need to move to a system where the tax increases the more you fly. Something like (per year)

10% tax for the first 1000 miles
20% tax for the next 1000 miles
30% tax for the next 1000 miles
40% tax for the next 1000 miles (etc).

AIBU? Should we tax flights more?

I agree re: who is taking the flights. I haven't flown since 2014 (not a total martyr, will be flying to Italy next year), the last time before that was 2011. I've never flown long haul. Meanwhile my BIL, partly for work but partly for stag weekends, holidays etc., has taken (at a rough guess) 8 journeys/16 flights in the past year.

I should add of those flights of his most were within Europe but one was a return trip to Japan.

AIBU? Should we tax flights more?

No

Completely agree.

Yanbu but this mumsnet. You get berated for all kinds of environmental wrongdoings but don't mess with the middle classes and their "well earned" air travel 🙄

YANBU. The only way to tackle climate change is to link it to economic incentives.

Taxing flights is ridiculous. They already cost a fortune. We already pay tax on absolutely everything these days so why would you insist people pay even more?

"Not sure why I’m being told to fuck off. "

Because your premise is stupid and you cant even see it. You'd rather tax flights more and do nothing about the cows farts.

Nice to see your have your pseudo-environmental priorities set right.

Typical inane lefty "logic".

No. Flying is already a luxury and a damned uncomfortable one, at that. Make fewer flights available and lower the number of seats in order to give travelers more room. Flying economy long haul is torture these days.

Would depend where the taxes were going.
I think it might be quite unkind to some. I have a member of staff from NZ. Her sister is critically ill and approaching the end of life. I’d hate to think she wouldn’t be able to afford to use her leave to visit her.
We all need to do our bit but perhaps greater investment in non fossil fuel energy might be a more positive way of doing it - fewer objections to wind turbines, perhaps.
Less subsidies for cattle farming perhaps?

why would you insist people pay even more

Erm, to attempt to limit climate change? Not saying it wouldn’t be painful or require a change of lifestyle for some.

Perhaps it should be based on why people are flying. My Mum is virtually my only relative and lives in the UK, I am in NZ and feel have no choice but to do several long haul trips to UK every year.

The two aren't mutually exclusive though. Just because you tax fuel use more, it doesn't mean you can't reduce agri emissions too.

Cows farting causes more methane pollution in a day than airplanes do in the sky. Perhaps we should tax the cows first, or perhaps idiots like you?

So we shouldn't do anything to try and conserve the environment until we can do everything at the same time?

Cows are bad for the environment, yes we should be trying to cut down on meat consumption. Planes are bad for the environment, yes we should be trying to cut down on air travel. Doing one is better than doing neither - we have to start somewhere.

The government has banned microbeads and plastic straws. Obviously there are worse things out there, should we not ban microbeads until we have also banned all other plastic which is a bigger contributor?

OP I agree with you. Very few people genuinely need to travel by plane as often as they do.

@FartingInTheFence you are absolutely right about methane being a huge problem. We should stop subsidising meat farmers at the very least. Taxing meat would be a good idea too.

Taxing flights more. Why? Usually the taxes are to fund bigger airports or better security.
And not all flights are carbon heavy on emissions. Every long haul flight emits less carbon per passenger than a car or cruise ship going the same distance. Do you want to encourage travellers going long haul towards more carbon polluting methods of travel?

Definitely agree. A frequent flyer tax makes a lot of sense. The majority of families are lucky to get one holiday a year, most less. Why should they pay the same tax as people flying every month.

Because your premise is stupid and you cant even see it. You'd rather tax flights more and do nothing about the cows farts

Explain why it’s stupid.

I’ve already agreed with you the cows need sorting out as well

I’m not for a moment pretending that flights are the only environmental issue on the planet. But they are a big one.

Wont make a jot of difference.

"Explain why it’s stupid. "

See my previous post. Thanks.

While we should all be reducing our meat intake (AND reducing reliance on cars AND taking fewer flights - through these things require government investment), the UK transport industry as a whole put 121m tons of emissions out into the atmosphere in 2018, so this will include flights. Agriculture (this includes all agriculture, not just animal) put out 5.6m tons and is the industry that put out the smallest amount other than waste management.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/790626/2018-provisional-emissions-statistics-report.pdf

Transport and energy are by far the biggest contributors to greenhouse gases and are the things we need to be focusing on.

There's always the argument about local environmental pollution caused by air craft and airports. Rather than focussing on the global impact, that could be sorted by a fuel tax too, it would reduce inefficient shorter flights significantly.